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- Gary Lineker has revealed he turned down appearing on an ITV reality show
- He has admitted negotiations to go on the show did not get very far
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Gary Lineker has revealed that he recently turned down the opportunity to appear on a major ITV reality show.
The BBC presenter, 64, is set to step down from hosting Match of the Day at the end of the season, leaving him with more free time on his hands.
And he has now opened up on how ITV tried to take advantage of this by making him an offer to sign up for one of their shows.
However, Lineker admitted negotiations did not get very far after his agent asked ITV for an outrageous salary on his behalf.
‘Do you know last week I got requests to go on Celebrity Big Brother,’ Lineker told Alan Shearer and Micah Richards on The Rest Is Football podcast.
Lineker added: ‘My agent sent it through, and then jokingly he replied, “Oh, yes. Gary’s fee will be £50 million!”
Gary Lineker has revealed he rejected the chance to go on an ITV reality show
Lineker admitted talks did not go very far as his agent jokingly asked for £50m on his behalf
Lineker will not be hosting BBC Sports Personality of the Year next week, and is stepping down from his role as Match of the Day presenter at the end of the season
‘He did it completely as a joke, obviously. And they came back said, “Oh, that’s a little bit…that’s not within our budget”.’
It appears Lineker did not take ITV’s approach particularly seriously, and he made it clear his stance is unlikely to change any time soon.
When quizzed on whether he would consider going on Celebrity Big Brother in the near future, Lineker replied: ‘I can tell you now, don’t bother asking.’
Lineker has rejected the chance of a reality TV stint, and he also recently confirmed that he will not be one of the hosts for next week’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
His final appearance came last year when he presented alongside Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott, with Lionesses goalkeeper Mary Earps crowned the winner of the coveted award.
Lineker will continue on Match of the Day for the rest of the 2024-25 season before walking away after first starting on the show back in 1999.
His replacement is yet to be announced, with Logan, Scott, Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates all believed to be leading contenders to succeed him.
